Process and installation for production of high pressure gaseous fluid
AssigneesL'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude, Liquid Air Engineering Corporation
InventorsMaurice Grenier, Bao Ha
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Auxiliary gas is withdrawn from the heat exchanger during cooling or reheating at an intermediate temperature which is close to the vaporizing temperature of the oxygen or nitrogen high pressure product stream, then compressed by a cold compressor and reintroduced in the heat exchanger. The invention is particularly applicable to the production of gaseous oxygen at a pressure greater than about 15 bar.
Claims52
A process for the production of a high pressure gaseous fluid comprising the steps of:
- a) withdrawing a liquid stream from a cryogenic air separation process and pumping said liquid stream to at least said high pressure gaseous fluid pressure to form a high pressure liquid;
- b) flowing said high pressure liquid stream to a heat exchanger for vaporization and reheating;
- c) withdrawing an auxiliary gas from said heat exchanger at an intermediate location and at a first temperature which is close to the vaporization temperature of said high pressure fluid and flowing at least a portion of said withdrawn auxiliary gas at said first temperature to a compression means;
- d) compressing said withdrawn auxiliary gas and reintroducing at least a portion of said compressed auxiliary gas into said heat exchanger, and;
- e) withdrawing a second stream of auxiliary gas from said heat exchanger at a second temperature which is less than said first temperature.
A process for the production of a high pressure gaseous fluid comprising the steps of:
- a) withdrawing a liquid stream from a cryogenic air separation process and pumping said liquid stream to at least said high pressure gaseous fluid pressure to form a high pressure liquid;
- b) flowing said high pressure liquid stream to a heat exchanger for vaporization and reheating;
- c) withdrawing an auxiliary gas from said heat exchanger at an intermediate location and at a first temperature which is close to the vaporization temperature of said high pressure fluid and flowing at least a portion of said withdrawn auxiliary gas at said first temperature to a compression means;
- d) compressing said withdrawn auxiliary gas and reintroducing at least a portion of said compressed auxiliary gas into said heat exchanger, and;
- e) withdrawing from said heat exchanger at a second location and flowing to an expansion turbine at least a portion of the compressed and reintroduced auxiliary gas.
A process for the production of a high pressure gaseous fluid comprising the steps of:
- a) withdrawing a liquid stream from a cryogenic air separation process and pumping said liquid stream to at least said high pressure gaseous fluid pressure to form a high pressure liquid;
- b) flowing said high pressure liquid stream to a heat exchanger for vaporization and reheating;
- c) withdrawing an auxiliary gas from said heat exchanger at an intermediate location and at a first temperature which is close to the vaporization temperature of said high pressure fluid and flowing at least a portion of said withdrawn auxiliary gas at said first temperature to a compression means;
- d) compressing said withdrawn auxiliary gas and reintroducing at least a portion of said compressed auxiliary gas into said heat exchanger;
- wherein said auxiliary gas is a gas undergoing heating in said heat exchanger.
A process for the production of a high pressure gaseous fluid comprising the steps of:
- a) withdrawing a liquid stream from a cryogenic air separation process and pumping said liquid stream to at least said high pressure gaseous fluid pressure to form a high pressure liquid;
- b) flowing said high pressure liquid stream to a heat exchanger for vaporization and reheating;
- c) withdrawing an auxiliary gas from said heat exchanger at an intermediate location and at a first temperature which is close to the vaporization temperature of said high pressure fluid and flowing at least a portion of said withdrawn auxiliary gas at said first temperature to a compression means;
- d) compressing said withdrawn auxiliary gas and reintroducing at least a portion of said compressed auxiliary gas into said heat exchanger;
- wherein said auxiliary gas is a nitrogen-enriched stream derived from an air separation.
A process for the production of a high pressure gaseous fluid comprising the steps of:
- a) withdrawing a liquid stream from a cryogenic air separation process and pumping said liquid stream to at least said high pressure gaseous fluid pressure to form a high pressure liquid;
- b) flowing said high pressure liquid stream to a heat exchanger for vaporization and reheating;
- c) withdrawing an auxiliary gas from said heat exchanger at an intermediate location and at a first temperature which is close to the vaporization temperature of said high pressure fluid and flowing at least a portion of said withdrawn auxiliary gas at said first temperature to a compression means;
- d) compressing said withdrawn auxiliary gas and reintroducing at least a portion of said compressed auxiliary gas into said heat exchanger;
- wherein all of the feed air to said air separation is fed to said heat exchanger at a single pressure.
A process for the production of a high pressure gaseous fluid comprising the steps of:
- a) withdrawing a liquid stream from a cryogenic air separation process and pumping said liquid stream to at least said high pressure gaseous fluid pressure to form a high pressure liquid;
- b) flowing said high pressure liquid stream to a heat exchanger for vaporization and reheating;
- c) withdrawing an auxiliary gas from said heat exchanger at an intermediate location and at a first temperature which is close to the vaporization temperature of said high pressure fluid and flowing at least a portion of said withdrawn auxiliary gas at said first temperature to a compression means;
- d) compressing said withdrawn auxiliary gas and reintroducing at least a portion of said compressed auxiliary gas into said heat exchanger;
- wherein a portion of the feed air to said air separation is compressed to a first pressure and thereafter fed to the heat exchanger at said first pressure and the remainder of said feed air compressed to a second pressure and fed to said heat exchanger at said second pressure.
An installation for the production of at least one high pressure gaseous fluid which comprises a fluid selected from the group consisting of oxygen and nitrogen by cryogenic air separation, said installation comprising a double column air separation system comprising a low pressure column and a high pressure column and a heat exchanger wherein incoming air is in heat-exchange relationship with fluids withdrawn from the double column system;
- said installation further comprising means to withdraw liquified fluid from the air separation unit and means to compress said withdrawn fluid with a pump, a cold blower, means for feeding said cold blower with an auxiliary gas which is withdrawn from the heat exchanger at an intermediate temperature, means for reintroducing said auxiliary gas into conduits of the heat exchanger;
- said installation further comprising conduit means for withdrawing and flowing to an expansion turbine at least a portion of said reintroduced auxiliary gas from said heat exchanger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.